3.3.3. License Detection

The devtool add command attempts to determine if the software you are adding is able to be distributed under a common open-source license and sets the LICENSE value accordingly. You should double-check this value against the documentation or source files for the software you are building and update that LICENSE value if necessary.

The devtool add command also sets the LIC_FILES_CHKSUM value to point to all files that appear to be license-related. However, license statements often appear in comments at the top of source files or within documentation. Consequently, you might need to amend the LIC_FILES_CHKSUM variable to point to one or more of those comments if present. Setting LIC_FILES_CHKSUM is particularly important for third-party software. The mechanism attempts to ensure correct licensing should you upgrade the recipe to a newer upstream version in future. Any change in licensing is detected and you receive an error prompting you to check the license text again.

If the devtool add command cannot determine licensing information, the LICENSE value is set to "CLOSED" and the LIC_FILES_CHKSUM vaule remains unset. This behavior allows you to continue with development but is unlikely to be correct in all cases. Consequently, you should check the documentation or source files for the software you are building to determine the actual license.